Have you flipped through a vocabulary book, hoping that one day you will memorize all those words?

If you have done this before but didn’t find so useful, then here is another method you might want to try.

The method that I have tested and worked with many of my students, is this:

Create example sentences using the words you are learning.

It sounds easy and you might have done this already, but let me elaborate to make sure you are not doing the wrong way. You do not want to waste your time making sentences only to forget the meaning of the word at the end of your study session.

The Wrong Way

First, let me show you the wrong way. Then, I will show you how to create your sentences the right wayso that you are more likely to retain the words in your memory. Read on.

Let’s say you are learning the word “resign” (which means to leave a job). You may come up with a sentence like this.

“I’m sorry, but I must resign.”

Not a bad start, but if you looked at this sentence later, would you be able to understand exactly what the word meant? The answer is no. You could have easily replaced the word “resign” with a word like “vomit”. The sentence is grammatically correct, but does it help you understand the meaning of the word?. There isn’t enough context in this sentence to make any sound judgment about the meaning of the word. Scratch this sentence.

A Better Way

What you need to do, is to think further and take an extra step to create a better example sentence, so that there is no confusion when you look at it later. Let’s take a look at this example sentence.

“President Nixon resigned from the office following the Watergate scandal.”

This sentence has clue words to hint at the meaning of the word “resign”. The word from the office shows that there has been a change in Nixon’s social status, and the word following shows when it happened. If you knew the US history, then this sentence is a no-brainer. However, if you didn’t care much about the world news, then what happened to Nixon won’t intrigue you. There is a much better way to register a word to your vocabulary arsenal.

The Best Way

The best way to make a word stick is to associate them with what you already know, and to things that you personally care about.

You are likely to remember something, if it’s relevant to you. We remember what we care, and we forget or ignore anything that’s irrelevant to us. We are more likely to remember people whom we see more often, rather than a passing stranger. Use this to your advantage by incorporating new vocabulary in sentences you make. I often emphasize the importance of crafting your own “story script” as I have mentioned in this previous post. (a link to my Korean site) Writing your story script enables you to learn holistically, activating your memory and connecting old and new information into a cohesive masterpiece.

There are a few things we tend to remember a lot better than the others. They are:

• Things that we are familiar with
• Things that we are impressed with (anything with an element of surprise, uniqueness, shock, or humor)
• Things that changed us (positively or negatively)

So next time you pick up a vocabulary book, instead of flipping through pages of words, pick a few that you know you will use, and create your sentences based on your real life experience. Whenever I explain the meaning of a word to my Korean students, I often use Pororo (one of Korea’s most popular children’s cartoon show) as an example. Whenever I create sentence using Pororo as an example, I get a good laugh from the students. Also, they were more likely to recall the sentences accurately when they were asked later.

Create an example sentence based on what you already know and things that you personally care about.

I always try to get personal with my students. I figure out what they are going through in their lives, and then create sentences using new vocabulary based on what I know about them. Not only do students give me that look of an “a-ha!” moment, but they are also more likely to reproduce the same sentence in their conversation practice.

So here is the conclusion to my advice to learning new English vocabulary. Pick some. Create a story that’s personal to you. Tell it to someone.

My students often ask me, “How can I become a fluent English speaker?”

Every time a student asks this question, I ask them in response,

“That question is too general. Can you be more specific?”

That kind of question is a wishful thought, and it does not really help you to figure out what actions to take. It’s as vague as saying, “I want the world to be a better place.” Instead, a learner can further ask herself, “What do I really want from being able to speak English fluently?”.

For some students, they want to be able to watch American soap operas without subtitles. For others, it’s about socializing with native-speaking friends. But you’re likely to be reading this article because you want to be respected and perceived as a competent professional by your peers, boss, and your in-laws.

As a Korean adult, you have likely spent countless hours and money on English education, only to find out there isn’t of much use, unless you work for a particularly company where English skill is needed. If you are a female worker, it’s likely that you have had to go through an extremely competitive journey to get the kind of job you have right now. And even if you are not yet employed, you know there’s an arduous road ahead of you to land a job where you can use English.

Regardless of the employment situation that you are in, one thing holds true for most 20- to 30-something female, Korean adults like yourself. English helps you to further your career, and enhance your relationships and life. You might ask, “What kind of English speaker will I be?” or “What does it actually mean to be able to speak English fluently?”

How can I help you?

Here are some suggestions for you. We’re going to do some hard thinking here and inward looking to find out exactly what frame of mind you need to be in. Also, we will go about finding the steps needed to become a better English speaker.

1. Ask yourself, “What do I really want?”

Besides becoming a better English speaker, what else is out there? What about the English language makes you want to do more? For example, people do not exercise for the sake of exercise. People exercise because they want to live a long, healthy life, or attract partners. We usually associate happiness to health, relationships, knowledge, and money. Your real motivation to learn English relates to one or more of these associations. My typical student is a Korean woman pursuing her careers as a 20 or 30 year old. I can certainly tell you that most of them want to be able to speak English so that their bosses and coworkers take them seriously. As a woman in Korea, it is easy to be looked down upon by senior staff. If this sounds like you, then what you want to focus on is language that makes you appear more professional, confident, and assertive. You value this much more highly than being able to go out with your native-speaking friends, which you already do fine.

• 2. “Who do I want to emulate?”

In the previous paragraph, I emphasized the importance of identifying your desired end result and your motivation for improving your English speaking skill. Next, you are going to identify a person to emulate. Although it is possible to gather ideas on your own and craft your own style of English communication, the easiest way for students to get started in improving their English is to start emulating somebody. Instead of trying to come up with ideas and styles out of blue, it’ll be more helpful if you have a reference point when crafting your speech or writing. Emulating someone is the way to go.

You do not have to necessarily emulate the most popular celebrity or public speaker on the planet, but you do want to identify and study one or more individuals who are in the same demography as you, and who share a lot of characteristics you already have or wish to have. If your goal is to be treated as a competent Korean businesswoman, then seek those who are a Korean businesswoman with excellent speaking skills. You may find her through your network, or online. Get as much chance to observe the way she speaks in English and study closely how she communicates. From there you can incorporate some of the phrases and words you learned from observing her in your business email or presentation you give at your work. Get some reference, then build upon it.

3. “How am I going to encode and learn new information consistently?”

Let’s say it is most important to you to be able to negotiate deals successfully with a foreign customer, and it gives you the highest return in terms of your job accomplishment at work. While finding the material that teach negotiation skills in English is not hard, it might be challenging for you to find the time and place to study and practice. When a person says she “studies”, you might imagine her sitting in front of a desk with a textbook open, and holding a pen or a highlighter in her right hand. But you and I both already know that it’s the level of concentration that contributes to the quality of your study, not how you study.

If you do not already do this on a consistent basis, attempting to engage in this “study habit” might be challenging for you, especially if you have a full-time job. Instead, incorporate your study time in your pre-existing daily routine. For example, if you always go to the same coffee shop at the same time every morning, then you could listen to an audio program about negotiation on your earphones and take some notes while you wait for the coffee. If you already spend a lot of time surfing the Internet, you might consider starting your own blog, writing what you have learned that day. Explaining a concept to others is one of the best ways to accelerate your own learning curve. Whatever you choose to do, don’t force a new habit. Rather, tweak what you already do in your daily life and use tools that are appropriate to you.

4.  “How am I going to measure whether my performance is improving?”

If you are studying for a standardized test, then this part has been taken care of. But if you are not studying for a test, then the single most effective and easy way to track your progress is to record yourself on camera. Most people hate how they sound or look. Instead of hating yourself, find one biggest bad habit you do when you speak, and focus on fixing that. Keep your old videos and refer back to them so that you’ll see the progress you are making. Use them for your own encouragement. If negotiation is what you’re working on, then do find a partner to practice with, and record yourselves on camera. You’ll be amazed what you find from those video recordings.

5. “What other activities are affecting my physical and emotional state?”

Eating, sleeping, and the quality of relationships affect both your physical health and emotion, which in turn, affect speed and quality of your learning. Make sure you keep these things under control so as not to negatively influence your motivation and energy. If you always feel lethargic and unmotivated, you may want to diagnose yourself and find out what’s causing the drop in your motivation and energy. It takes an inward look at your daily activity to identify what affects your motivation, and what affects you to repeatedly engage in certain actions. Refer to Charles Duhigg’s “The Power of Habit” for more information on how to analyze your daily habit.

Conclusion

Instead of skimming through random phrase books or vocabulary books, here is the roadmap that helps you reach the fluency level you want.

1. Identify your goal and what kind of a communicator you want to be. Be as specific as you can.
2. Emulate someone who has the desirable profile you described in the first step.
3. Find the most realistic way for you to study and take the advantage of your daily routine.
4. Measure your progress and get feedback.
5. Keep your non-study activities in check, and make sure you are healthy in other areas of your life.

Following these steps will ensure you become a better speaker much quicker than taking random classes without a clear aim. Start today and become a fluent speaker.

SHADOWING 1-2-3 TECHNIQUE

Do you want to know one effective method that dramatically improves your English speaking skills, even when you’re practicing alone? There are many resources for learning grammar and vocabulary in libraries. However, when it comes to speaking, you might only have gotten the common advice such as “imitate a native speaker,” or “speak a lot with your friends.” You might ask, “How am I supposed to do that when I don’t have any native-speaking friends?” or “I’m already too busy with my job!” Actually, you can practice speaking at home alone, and improve tremendously by following the steps that I show you. You can do this even when you’re busy, or even when you don’t have any native-speaking friends, and all it takes is just a few clicks and a little bit of personal willpower.

There’s a method called shadowing that interpreters often use to practice their speaking skills. To shadow is to quickly repeat sentences you just have heard. For example, you can watch Steve Job’s speech given at Stanford on YouTube, and repeat after him without using a script. Don’t assume that you already know how to do this. There might be just a few hidden tricks that you haven’t noticed yet. Here you’ll find three shadowing methods that will help you acquire a native-speaker’s accent and intonation, and start speaking English fluently. I developed this sequence of three shadowing methods that I have applied to all my foreign language learnings. I call this sequence the shadowing 1-2-3 technique.

1. FOCUS ON THE SOUND AND MIMIC YOUR WAY THROUGH

When you’re shadowing to practice your accent and intonation, you’re training your ability to perceive and reproduce sound. You’re also training your ears to get used to the melody and the rhythm of complex word combinations within sentences. You’re training your tongue and lips to form the most accurate shape to produce the sound. Treat it as a muscle-memory exercise, like you’re learning to play the violin and figuring out where to place your fingers on the instrument. For your first attempt, you do not need to understand the entire meaning of a sentence, because your initial goal is to act and sound like a native. “Learning by mimicry” means that you’re getting used to acting like a native speaker before you actually become one. The focus is your ability to perform, and to deliver the exact speech, sounds and intonation. So first, focus on the sound and mimic your way through.

2. REMEMBER ONE PHRASE AT A TIME

After you got comfortable with mimicking the sound, it’s time to form the English brain so that you start thinking in English. Let’s take Steve Job’s speech again as an example. Assuming that you understood most of it without a script, you’re going to practice repeating after him one sentence at a time. Instead of just following the sound, this time you’re going to understand what he is saying, register its meaning in your mind, and repeat the same sentence after him. If you were able to repeat the sentence accurately, it means you’re capable of mimicking the sounds and understanding the meaning and will be able to create the same sentence when asked to do so. If you get stuck or miss a few words, it means you’re still not used to that particular sentence pattern. In that case, you can go back and find out exactly which word you missed. Pause and repeat the video until you get it right. This exercise helps you boost your cognitive ability, and speed up the time that it takes you to visualize and respond. Rather than passively listening to the radio, it’s much more effective to actively speak aloud. Remember, comprehension alone is not enough if your goal is to speak at a native level. The goal here is to test your output. You’ll be faster at forming well structured sentences.

3. GUESS, SPEAK, AND COMPARE

Now challenge yourself with an advanced technique. You’re going to test your originality when constructing your own sentences. Pause the speech and dialogue. Next, try to guess what the speaker will say. Say it out loud and then play the video. Compare what you have just said with what the speaker in the video has actually said. Ask yourself two questions: 1) Was I just said appropriate for the situation? 2) How do the speaker and I differ? Was he or she more sarcastic, humorous, emotional, rational, or witty? You can even go further and record or write your sentences, and you’ll start to see your speech pattern. Use this as an opportunity to expand your thoughts and creativity. Often times, even advanced learners suffer from the lack of originality or not knowing what to say in a given situation, more so than grammatical correctness. Put yourself in a situation where you are forced to respond, and expand your comfort zone and train yourself to generate ideas quickly. Act like the speaker in the video, and try to think and speak from the speaker’s point of view. Once you step out away from being you and start talking like the speaker in the video, you might come up with well-thought sentences that you never thought you could say or write.

START NOW!

There are free resources available for you to download and test your speaking abilities. You can use YouTube, Podcasts, or iTunes U (University) and find a speaker whom you like. For empathetic or persuasive style, I recommend Bill Clinton. For charismatic style, try Barack Obama. Try Hillary Clinton too. Watch interviews of Sarah Palin and test yourself to see if you can speak better than her. Do not limit yourself to just politicians or celebrities. Try watching how-to videos, and imitate tennis coaches, hypnotists, language teachers, hip-hop rappers, athletes and more. If you want an easy start, try songs and cartoons for children.  People don’t know how much you know until you express yourself. Practice the shadowing 1-2-3 technique now, wow your friends and coworkers, by exposing your inner knowledge.

I also run the website JoshTanaka.net which provides English learning tips for Korean students. If you want to see me do the shadowing technique in 5 different languages, click here! (In the video, I explain the shadowing technique in Korean)